
Massachusetts mayor Shaunna O’Connell, who campaigned on a promise to crack down on crime, is now in the middle of a domestic violence case after allegations surfaced that she bit her husband and attacked him with a gasket scraper.
She and her husband, Ted, had a dispute on Friday night over a “marital issue,” and it escalated into a violent altercation. Ted had reported an ‘active disturbance’ to 911 at their Worcester Street house. At the scene, he informed the police that his wife had bit him, attacked him with a tool, and jumped on the hood of his car in an attempt to stop him from leaving.
As his wife entered a not-guilty plea on Monday to the allegations against her, Ted stated that he now regrets calling the police and that he stands behind her, according to the police report filed by Taunton Police Sgt. George Lozado, the O’Connells’ house on Worcester Street, was visited by authorities just after 8 p.m. on Friday. Upon arrival, Ted was seen in the driveway engaged in texting. Ted told the police that he and the mayor had gotten into an argument and that the mayor had bit him.
Ted informed the responding officers that he was worried about his wife’s health, so he declined medical treatment and a temporary restraining order.
The acting police chief advised the mayor that sufficient reasonable cause existed to warrant her arrest on charges relating to domestic violence. Handcuffed and brought outdoors, she started shouting to her husband as she walked out of the house.
Before being “placed in a secure cell to await bail,” the mayor was escorted into a police car. A campaign spokesman for Shaunna attempted to minimize the event in a statement issued the day after. According to her, Ted feels wrong for involving the police in a dispute. Ted was photographed on Monday leaving the courthouse with her hand firmly in his.
This is O’Connell’s third consecutive two-year term as mayor, having been elected in 2019. She was a former Republican state lawmaker who narrowly defeated her Democratic opponent by 31 votes by campaigning on the platform of her opponent being too lenient on crime.